Climate
The Tampa Bay area has a humid subtropical climate (Koppen Cfa), with warm temperatures and the threat of thunderstorms during the summer and the winter frost at least once a year. However, large freezes only occur in the area about every 10–15 years, and the area shows some characteristics of a tropical monsoon climate. The area is listed by the USDA as being in hardiness zone 9, which is about the northern limit of where coconut palms and royal palms can be grown. Highs usually range between 65 and 95 °F (18 and 35 °C) year round. Surprisingly to some, Tampa's official high has never reached 100 °F (38 °C) - the all-time record high temperature is 99 °F (37 °C). St. Petersburg's all-time record high is exactly 100 °F (38 °C).
Pinellas County lies on a peninsula between Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, and much of the city of Tampa lies on a smaller peninsula jutting out into Tampa Bay. This proximity to large bodies of water both moderates local temperatures and introduces large amounts of humidity into the atmosphere. In general, the communities farthest from the coast have more extreme temperature differences, both during a single day and throughout the seasons of the year.
| Climate data for Tampa, Florida (Tampa Int'l), 1981–2010 normals | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 86 (30) |
88 (31) |
91 (33) |
93 (34) |
98 (37) |
99 (37) |
98 (37) |
98 (37) |
96 (36) |
95 (35) |
90 (32) |
86 (30) |
99 (37) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 70.3 (21.3) |
72.8 (22.7) |
76.6 (24.8) |
81.3 (27.4) |
87.5 (30.8) |
90.0 (32.2) |
90.4 (32.4) |
90.5 (32.5) |
89.3 (31.8) |
84.6 (29.2) |
78.3 (25.7) |
72.4 (22.4) |
82.0 (27.8) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 50.8 (10.4) |
53.6 (12.0) |
57.5 (14.2) |
62.2 (16.8) |
68.9 (20.5) |
74.1 (23.4) |
75.2 (24.0) |
75.5 (24.2) |
73.7 (23.2) |
67.3 (19.6) |
59.6 (15.3) |
53.6 (12.0) |
64.3 (17.9) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 21 (−6) |
24 (−4) |
29 (−2) |
40 (4) |
49 (9) |
53 (12) |
63 (17) |
67 (19) |
57 (14) |
40 (4) |
23 (−5) |
18 (−8) |
18 (−8) |
| Rainfall inches (mm) | 2.23 (56.6) |
2.80 (71.1) |
3.03 (77) |
2.03 (51.6) |
2.10 (53.3) |
6.68 (169.7) |
7.06 (179.3) |
7.76 (197.1) |
6.29 (159.8) |
2.25 (57.2) |
1.55 (39.4) |
2.47 (62.7) |
46.25 (1,174.8) |
| Avg. rainy days (≥ 0.01 inch) | 6.8 | 6.6 | 6.6 | 4.9 | 5.5 | 12.7 | 15.9 | 16.0 | 12.2 | 6.5 | 5.1 | 5.8 | 104.6 |
| Percent possible sunshine | 65 | 66 | 71 | 75 | 75 | 67 | 62 | 62 | 62 | 66 | 64 | 61 | 66 |
| Source #1: NOAA, Average Percent Sunshine through 2009 | |||||||||||||
| Source #2: Weather Channel (extremes) | |||||||||||||
Read more about this topic: Tampa Bay Area
Famous quotes containing the word climate:
“If often he was wrong and at times absurd,
To us he is no more a person
Now but a whole climate of opinion.”
—W.H. (Wystan Hugh)
“A tree is beautiful, but what’s more, it has a right to life; like water, the sun and the stars, it is essential. Life on earth is inconceivable without trees. Forests create climate, climate influences peoples’ character, and so on and so forth. There can be neither civilization nor happiness if forests crash down under the axe, if the climate is harsh and severe, if people are also harsh and severe.... What a terrible future!”
—Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860–1904)
“A positive learning climate in a school for young children is a composite of many things. It is an attitude that respects children. It is a place where children receive guidance and encouragement from the responsible adults around them. It is an environment where children can experiment and try out new ideas without fear of failure. It is an atmosphere that builds children’s self-confidence so they dare to take risks. It is an environment that nurtures a love of learning.”
—Carol B. Hillman (20th century)